My Tiny Human: Toilet Talk

Me: Do you need to use the toilet?

Tiny Human: No thanks!

Me: Just try, you look like you need to go.

Tiny Human: *insert two-year old eye roll* (wonder where he learnt that.)

Four seconds later, after turning my back for two seconds, I’m blotting up wee from the carpeted floor…

About a month or two ago, we went out and bought the traditional little plastic potty after our son started showing some interest in matters of the bathroom.  We left the gleaming white plastic training toilet in the bathroom beside the big porcelain one so he could get used to the idea.  At first he started sitting on it (both clothed and not) and then he used it a few times without much of a fuss.

A few more weeks passed, and then at the the two-year-checkup, the maternal child health nurse suggested it was time. After talking to other parents who had been there before us, I decided we should strike while the iron is hot, so to speak, and ramp up the toilet training while he was showing interest and readiness.

I didn’t know much about how best to go about toilet training other than anecdotal comments and old wives tales, so a friend suggested the book Oh Crap! Potty Training by Jamie Glowacki.

Yes. There are loads of books (and blog/forum posts about how to toilet/potty train your child – who knew?).  This book has been surprisingly helpful, but it also made me wonder if we missed the window of opportunity to commence toilet training because we didn’t act immediately on the little one’s initial interest.

According to the book, some of our failures included:

• leaving the training toilet out for the child to get ‘used’ to first
• not realising that if they are sitting on the toilet and using the toilet – they are ready
• not realising that if the child talks about wee/poo – also ready.

All of these things had happened in our house, so I immediately thought we were starting on the back foot.  But we forged ahead to make use of a long weekend.

I will state right now, my number one tip for toilet training – do not do it when you are pregnant! If you’re pregnant you can’t indulge in wine* (which Glowacki recommends you do) at the end of a very long day (and there are MANY very long days at the start of toilet training).